From the WSJ Opinion Archives

by JAMES TARANTO
Friday, May 7, 2004 4:32 P.M. EDT

49 Votes for Abuse?
The House passed a nonbinding resolution yesterday "deploring the abuse of persons in United States custody in Iraq." You'd think this would be something everyone could agree on, but the vote in favor was only 365-50. Of the 50 "no" votes, one came from Rep. Ron Paul, an eccentric libertarian Republican from Texas who often votes against congressional resolutions, especially on foreign policy.

The other 49 were all from Democrats, and by our quick scan almost all of them come from the left-wing fringe of the party, such as John Conyers, Barney Frank, Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, Jim McDermott, Nancy Pelosi, Charles Rangel, Pete Stark, Maxine Waters. Are these folks in favor of abusing Iraqi prisoners?

Well, maybe not. The resolution, summarized here, actually has two parts:

Deploring the abuse of persons in United States custody in Iraq, regardless of the circumstances of their detention, urging the Secretary of the Army to bring to swift justice any member of the Armed Forces who has violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice, expressing the deep appreciation of the Nation to the courageous and honorable members of the Armed Forces who have selflessly served, or are currently serving, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and for other purposes.

So do the 49 Democrats object to honoring the "courageous and honorable members of the Armed Forces"? Some may, but from browsing the debate transcript in the Congressional Record (link in PDF), it appears those who object do so mainly on two grounds: that the resolution does not call for a congressional investigation of the abuses, and that it does not cast blame widely enough--that is, it does not condemn military leaders, contractors and others who may or may not have been involved, as well as the known perpetrators of the abuse.

Both these points are arguable, but the resolution takes no position on either of them. Out of frustration that their colleagues aren't prepared to take as hard a line as they would, then, 49 Democrats have effectively gone on record supporting the abuse of prisoners and announcing their lack of appreciation for the troops. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Lynndie the Loser
Several readers objected to our item yesterday in which we described the soldiers accused of Abu Ghraib abuses as sounding like losers. Specifically, they didn't think it fair of us to so characterize Pfc. Lynndie England, who has been gainfully employed in the private sector and had ambitions to go to college. As one of our detractors wrote, "The married/divorced by 21 is not too smart, but at least she had worked and had some intention of getting a better job."

Well, fair enough. We found the idea of getting divorced before reaching drinking age a bit shocking, but maybe that's just our late-marrying urban bias showing. But a profile of England in the Chicago Tribune suggests that her personal troubles did not subside after she enlisted:

The family acknowledged that England was romantically involved with Charles Graver, a member of her Reserve unit. Relatives would not comment on reports that she is pregnant, but military officials Wednesday confirmed that she is.

The Tribune also reports that "after going to Iraq, England stayed in touch with relatives, calling when the opportunity arose or sending back photos: Lynndie on a Humvee, Lynndie on a camel, Lynndie with a stray cat she befriended in Iraq." And now Lynndie holding the leash of a naked Iraqi man.

What Would We Do Without Some?
"Reservists Not Ready for Prison Duty, Some Say"--headline, Boston Globe, May 7

Biden: God Must Go!
John Kerry has been urging President Bush to fire Donald Rumsfeld, but one of his Senate colleagues is going even further, the Gannett News Service reports:

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., a key Democratic supporter of President Bush's decision to wage war on Iraq, said the president must demonstrate that he understands the "nature of the damage" caused by the abuse incident by "determining who is responsible, no matter how far up the chain of command this goes."

Once those people are identified, Biden said, Bush must "demand the resignations for whoever is involved in this policy, and that includes Lord God Almighty himself. It includes anybody involved."

Somehow it had escaped our notice that the Lord God Almighty serves at the pleasure of the president.

Gail Collins's Day Off
Blogress Ana Marie "Wonkette" Cox:

About ten or so middle-aged folks (really!) and a youngster or two, interrupted Rumsfeld's Senate testimony for about 3 minutes. Chants of "Fire Rumsfeld! Fire Rumsfeld!"

Guess the NYT editorial board had the day off.

Meanwhile, the New York Times Learning Network features a "lesson plan" on "writing letters to protest American abuse of Iraqi prisoners." As supplemental material, the Times urges teachers to have their students peruse the English-language Web site of Al-Jazeera as well as a Times article on Abu Ghraib.

Good News Watch
"Leaders of Iraq's largest Shia Muslim tribes have offered renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr a face-saving deal--and an ultimatum--to leave the holy city of Najaf," reports Newsday of Long Island, N.Y.:

The arrangement would give al-Sadr a chance to avoid humiliation by surrendering to the tribal leaders instead of being arrested by U.S. troops. But it would still require him to stand trial in an Iraqi court in the assassination of a rival cleric last year. It also would require al-Sadr to disarm his militia, the Mahdi Army, which has been fighting with U.S. forces for more than a month.

The deal has the blessings of Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, according to several people involved in drafting it. While U.S. officials have not yet been presented with the full details, they appear willing to accept it. The tribal leaders told al-Sadr yesterday that he had until only May 15 to accept the offer. If he turns it down, he will lose the tribes' backing. That would effectively give the U.S. military a green light to arrest or kill al-Sadr and crush his militia by launching an attack on Najaf.

Sounds good to us. What took Sistani so long?

Fool's Gold
Taking a page from America's playbook, Osama bin Laden, or someone purporting to be him, is putting a bounty on the heads of various U.S. and U.N. officials, the Associated Press reports:

"You know that America promised big rewards for those who kill mujahedeen (holy warriors)," the speaker said. "We in al-Qaida organization will guarantee, God willing, 10,000 grams of gold to whoever kills the occupier [Paul] Bremer, or the American chief commander or his deputy in Iraq." . . .

"The United Nations is nothing but a Zionists' tool, even if it worked under the cover of providing humanitarian aid," the voice said. ". . . Whoever kills Kofi Annan or the head of his commission in Iraq or a representative like Lakhdar Brahimi, he will be awarded the same prize of 10,000 grams of gold."

Interesting, isn't it, that bin Laden uses the metric system. Ten thousand grams is just over 22 pounds; the AP puts the value of the offer at $124,630, which is somewhat short of the $25 million the FBI is offering for bin Laden. Reuters reports the CIA believes the tape is authentic.

Bin Laden's characterization of the U.N. as a "Zionists' tool," and especially his targeting of Brahimi, is remarkable. Last week the New York Sun reported that Brahimi "has boasted to colleagues that he is proud of the fact that he has never shaken hands with an Israeli or a Jew." Apparently bin Laden does not subscribe to the notion that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

From Madrid to Portland
The FBI has arrested a Portland, Ore., lawyer in connection with the March 11 Madrid bombings, the New York Times reports. Brandon Mayfield is being held as a "material witness" rather than a suspect, but "officials confirmed Thursday night . . . that Mr. Mayfield's fingerprints matched prints found on a bag in the wreckage of the Madrid bombing." Mayfield is an American citizen and Muslim convert.

Why is Portland apparently such a magnet for jihadis? Last August Maher Hawash pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges. As the Washington Post reported at the time, "In return for his promise to testify against six other Portland-based suspects accused of plotting in 2001 to wage war against the United States, federal prosecutors dropped more serious terrorism charges against Hawash."

Could this all have something to do with the Portland City Council's decision in November 2001 to refuse cooperation with federal terror investigations?

This Ought to Make Quite a Splash
"US Dumps Water Projects in Gaza Over Convoy Bomb"--headline, Jerusalem Post, May 6

Jobs, Jobs Everywhere
"U.S. employment surged for a second straight month during April, adding another 288,000 to payrolls, as jobs were created in nearly every sector at a pace that handily outstripped expectations, a Labor Department report on Friday said," Reuters reports. This is good news for both President Bush and John Kerry, since it improves the chances that each will keep his current job.

Another Reuters dispatch, however, points out that some people are still unemployed, and their job worries are not yet over. Who knew?

Would You Like Ketchup on Those Mushrooms?
Say this for Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of John Kerry: She brings a good deal of entertainment value to the campaign. "Mrs. Kerry has been called a reporter's dream, thanks in part to her candid and often colorful remarks that can raise eyebrows and generate a flurry of press activity," CBS News reports:

At a routine Q&A event with workers from a New York healthcare union, Mrs. Kerry caused one such stir when responding to a voter's question about drug abuse among schoolchildren. "I used to say, you know, you do some drugs and you come and tell me. I want to know what it was like. You do cocaine and I'll kill you," she said, referring to the advice she gave her sons when they were coming of age.

The audience chuckled and there were no discernable [sic] grimaces on the faces of Mrs. Kerry's aides. The senator's wife continued, "One of them did tell me that he did try mushrooms or something. He didn't like it because it frightened him." (The Heinz sons were not contacted to confirm or deny their mother's accusations.)

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that in an interview with a Spanish-language TV network, Mrs. Kerry called Dick Cheney "unpatriotic."

You Don't Say
"Campaign Ads Can Mislead Voters"--headline, Associated Press, May 6

This Just In
"Some See Their Vote for Nader as Protest"--headline, Associated Press, May 7

The Clinton Legacy
James Tucker, a former pastor in Houston, is accused of sexually assaulting a church member in violation of "a 1995 state law that makes it a crime for 'spiritual advisers' to exploit their followers' 'emotional dependency' for sex," the Houston Chronicle reports:

He is accused of performing sexual acts on several occasions with a woman who sought marital counseling in his office in 1998.

The woman, who was 27 then, contends that she felt manipulated into their sexual relationship. If convicted, Tucker could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Tucker's defense is that the relationship was consensual--or, as he puts it, "a Bill Clinton thing."

Judge to Terri Schiavo: Drop Dead
Michael Schiavo has won a round in court in his effort to remove the feeding tube from his wife, Terri, who has been in a vegetative state for 14 years. Mrs. Schiavo's parents have been battling to keep her alive, and in October 2003 the Florida Legislature passed a law authorizing Gov. Jeb Bush to override a previous court order that the tube be removed.

W. Douglas Baird, a Florida circuit judge, struck down "Terri's Law," on the grounds, as the Associated Press puts it, that it "improperly gives the governor 'unbridled discretion' and interferes with Terri Schiavo's right to make her own medical decisions."

This is a difficult case. We're inclined to sympathize with Terri's parents, who hold out some slender hope that their daughter may somehow recover consciousness. On the other hand, medical authorities seem to be of the view that her brain is irreparably damaged so this hope is utterly vain.

But in any case, isn't there something Orwellian about presenting this ruling as a vindication of her "right to make her own medical decisions," since the one thing on which everyone can agree is that she is not currently able to make any such decisions?

What Would We Do Without Krispy Kreme?
"Krispy Kreme: Diets Hurt Donuts"--headline, CNN/Money, May 7

Apache Junction Shrugs
From the East Valley Tribune of Mesa, Ariz., comes a nominee for the Bottom Story of 2004, the year's least significant news item:

Apache Junction won't be hiring an outside agency to look at the city's public image any time soon, officials said Tuesday.

The Apache Junction City Council decided to abandon a "branding-imaging" study proposal by not voting on it, although the council's inaction leaves the door open for reconsidering the idea in the future. . . .

Councilman Dave Waldron said it was unfortunate that the image proposal created a "nonstory" about the possibility of changing the city's name, but that residents' passionate reaction demonstrated the lack of public support for an image campaign.

Perhaps Apache Junction--which is about 35 miles east of Phoenix, in case you were wondering--should adopt a new slogan: "A passion for inaction."

(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Isaac Schnitzler, Mark Taylor, Chris Fehr, Skip King, Mark Schulze, Peter Gallagher, Paul Dembry, James Drake, John Marovich, Thomas Dillon, Clyde McKinney, Seamus Britt, Jonathan Wurtele, S.E. Brenner, Erik Andresen, Damian Bennett, Ethel Fenig, Michael Segal, Michael Siegel, Raghu Desikan, Yehuda Hilewitz, Brian Dawson, Rosanne Klass, Monty Krieger, Dean Barnett, Tom von Gremp, Steve Roberts, C.E. Dobkin, Alexander Vacca, Mary Pinkowish, Barak Moore, Darren Gold, Paul Di Biasio, Bill Hobbs, Paul Hartwick, Rob Baas, Michael Nunnelley, Charlie Gaylord, Kevin Tharp, Myles Rose, Mary Ann Lomascolo, Ken Lawrence, Bill McConaghy, Mike Somers, Lee Hein, David Mellor and Joshua Brook. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)

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